Photo-conductive antennas activated by laser pulses (or continuous wave (CW) laser light) may include antenna elements fabricated from a photo-conductive semiconductor material that becomes conductive when illuminated by a light source. When the laser source is turned off, the photo-conductive antenna elements become non-conductive. In the non-conductive state the antenna elements cannot transmit or receive electromagnetic waves.
Light may be fed to such antennas by arrays of optical fibers, which may be cumbersome. Moreover, such an antenna may have little flexibility to accommodate different frequencies of operation. Thus, there is a need for an improved optically activated antenna.